


A House, A Home

by dare121



Series: Soft Gays of the Apocalypse [4]
Category: The Last of Us
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, No Spoilers, Pregnancy, SOFT GAYS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:29:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24932290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dare121/pseuds/dare121
Summary: When Ellie wakes, it’s not with a start.The tranquility of the morning hasn’t startled her.Instead, she wakes to the feeling of fingers softly stroking her cheek.--or, Ellie and Dina move into a farmhouse at the edge of Jackson
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Series: Soft Gays of the Apocalypse [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1084083
Comments: 30
Kudos: 568





	A House, A Home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RaneJizzoli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaneJizzoli/gifts).



> i think we can all use some fluff after the game
> 
> this is non canon-compliant. The only thing that happened is the kiss at the dance. 
> 
> hope you like it!

When Ellie wakes, it’s not with a start.

The tranquility of the morning hasn’t startled her.

Instead, she wakes to the feeling of fingers softly stroking her cheek.

“Stop watching me sleep. It’s creepy,” Ellie murmurs into her pillow, one hand lazily stuck underneath it to support herself and one curled around a warm waist next to her.

With a soft chuckle, a kiss is bestowed upon her nose, and Ellie scrunches up her face.

“You’re so cute when you’re grumpy,” Dina says, pressing another two kisses to Ellie’s cheek and forehead. “Big tough hunter.” Ellie snorts and buries her face further into the pillow, only pretending to be annoyed at having been woken up. “No going back to sleep for you. We’re fixing up the farmhouse today.”

Ellie tugs a little at Dina’s waist to get her to move closer, contrary to how she’s been acting the last few minutes.

“We won’t finish it today anyway, so there’s no rush.”

When Dina drapes herself across Ellie’s back, Ellie grunts in mock-pain.

“And we definitely won’t get anything done with you breaking my back.”

Dina snorts and bites playfully at the back of Ellie’s neck.

“Always the charmer, stretch,” she jokes, right before blowing a few raspberries on Ellie’s skin.

“Gross,” Ellie protests weakly, bringing up her elbow so she can nudge Dina in the ribs in the hopes of dislodging her. If she really wanted to, she could have Dina on her back in a matter of seconds, but she’s feeling too warm and soft to move. “I want a divorce.”

“We aren’t married,” Dina reminds her, warm fingers sliding under Ellie’s t-shirt and pulling it up while she slides down to blow raspberries on the skin of Ellie’s back instead. “Not yet.” She presses her cheek against the freckles there, more plentiful from the summer sun than during the winter. “Cause someone hasn’t had the guts to ask me.”

Ellie squirms a little.

“I’ll be sure to let Jessie know you’re waiting for a gesture of goodwill,” she says, hand flying to her side when Dina attempts to tickle her.

“Ha ha,” Dina intones, flopping down fully on Ellie’s body now, tucking her nose against the back of her shoulder and breathing her in ever so gently. “You should do stand-up comedy at the yearly talent show.”

“I’d make a killing,” Ellie agrees, feeling her eyes starting to droop again.

She’s just about to slip back into sleep, when Dina jumps up on the bed and pushes against her shoulders.

Dina is lucky Ellie loves her so much.

***

Dating Dina is a little bit like dating a ticking time bomb.

Or so Ellie has come to think of it.

In the last four months, there hasn’t been a day when the other woman hasn’t surprised her in some way. After all, the first time she kissed Ellie – right in front of everyone during the dance – was a surprise all on its own.

Before, Ellie didn’t even consider the possibility that Dina may like her back. With her beautiful dark hair and her radiant personality, Dina has had her pick of suitors in Jackson, and yet she picked Ellie above everyone else.

It’s a blessing, most of the time.

But then, sometimes, well.

“Come on,” Dina needles her, just as Ellie is tying up her shoes. “I want to scope out the place right now.”

Smiling quietly to herself, Ellie puts on her left shoe with all the time in the world, taking care to do up the shoelaces as slowly as possible. It’s a game she likes to play sometimes. See how long she can make Dina wait until she starts tugging and pulling on Ellie’s arm, trying to get her to move faster.

She loves it.

“Why are you like this?” Dina asks with some exasperation, her hands placed firmly on her waist. She isn’t really showing yet, even after four months, but they’ve been told this is normal, so Ellie tries not to worry. She’s not exactly an expert on pregnancies, but she sometimes still checks the tiny bump when she’s sure Dina is sleeping.

“What?” Ellie asks innocently, getting to her feet and taking care to check all of her smaller weapons are accounted for and within easy reach. Even inside Jackson’s walls, you could never be too careful. Joel had taught her that, and she always strived to honor his teachings.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Dina gripes, and Ellie knows she’s riled her girlfriend up enough for one morning.

Whistling, she picks up her shiny new cowboy hat that Tommy gave her for her last birthday, and opens the front door of their current apartment, as though she’d never been stalling at all.

“What a beautiful day,” Ellie says, smirking back at Dina and laughing loudly when she is shoved for her trouble.

***

The farmhouse towers up high above them. The city walls of Jackson have only recently been extended to encompass this area around it, and the house, while charming, has seen better days. Ellie can already tell that massive repairs are in order, but the supporting beams seem to be holding true, and it’s nothing that a few days of rigorous work won’t fix.

She’ll just have to motivate some of the others in town to help her out with this project, since she’s not about to let Dina lug around any heavy logs or machinery. Not with the pregnancy looming over them. She wants it all to go well.

The first time Dina had told her that she thought she was pregnant – from before she and Ellie had started dating – Ellie had almost fainted right then and there. On the spot. To say it was a shock to her system would have been an understatement. Not to mention that she and Dina had only been dating for a month and a half at that point.

“I understand if it’s… too much for you,” Dina had said, her voice trembling but her expression one of determination. “You don’t have to do this with me if you don’t want to. I know this is all new and a bit much.”

But breaking up over something Dina didn’t have control over wasn’t on Ellie’s agenda, no matter how much the thought of a tiny human in her care terrified her.

It still does.

She barely manages to be a functioning person most of the time. She has nightmares, and flashbacks, and trauma that she doesn’t always know how to deal with. She isn’t sure how she’s supposed to raise a kid and not impart those problems onto them as well.

But as she and Dina step further into the farmhouse, she pushes those thoughts aside.

Her decision is made, anyway.

She promised Dina she’d help her raise the kid, and she has no plans to go back on her word.

“This is so awesome,” Dina whispers under her breath as she looks at the dilapidated furniture and makes a grab for Ellie’s hand. “This is going to be our home, stretch.” She pushes their shoulders together, and Ellie lets her gaze wander along the run-down walls and broken interior design.

“It’ll need work,” she finally settles on, though a lop-sided smile has taken root on her face and her cheeks are flushed with a pleasure she isn’t ready to admit to.

“We have time,” Dina counters, tugging at Ellie’s hand and pulling her along through some of the other rooms.

 _Time_ _,_ Ellie thinks. _Time to live a life._

***

They start by clearing the house of the furniture. What they think can be salvaged, they take into the slightly shabby barn. What doesn’t, they try to recycle into building materials. Everything else is pushed into a growing pile at the front of the property.

Ellie isn’t sure what she’s going to do with it all. The trash.

Maybe start a bonfire.

It sounds better than digging a big hole for it.

Joel stops by on the second day to help her carry stuff, while Dina sorts through the smaller objects in the hopes of finding some gems. He brings Jesse and Tommy with him, as well as a few others that do the heavier lifting.

At some point in the late afternoon, Ellie wishes she could just chuck all the stuff out of the first story windows instead of having to lug them down the stairs one by one, but Dina had told her _no_ . Very emphatically. _No, Ellie, we do not throw perfectly usable building materials out of windows_.

It’s all a bit cruel, in Ellie’s opinion.

***

At the end of the third day, Ellie is too tired to shower and simply drops straight into the bed she shares with Dina. She doesn’t even take off her pants or her belt. Doesn’t get under the covers.

She’s only vaguely aware of a set of hands undoing the belt for her and pulling down the zipper of her jeans.

“I know I asked you to do your best on the farm, but you don’t have to work yourself into the ground,” Dina says softly as she strips Ellie of her pants and takes off her pair of mismatched socks. “We have plenty of time. You don’t have to rush so much.”

“But it’s for you,” Ellie mumbles, barely sure of what she’s saying. Her eyes are half-lidded, groggily following Dina’s hands as they reach down to her face to cradle her cheek and tug free the tiny ponytail at the back of Ellie’s head at the same time.

“It’s for you, too, dummy. How am I supposed to live there with you, if you die of exhaustion before we've even moved in?” With a gentle smile, Dina leans down to press a kiss against Ellie’s lips. Her hand on Ellie’s cheek is warm and soft to the touch.

“M’kay,” Ellie agrees sleepily, curling onto her side and closing her eyes.

She’s asleep before she can feel the mattress dip next to her and a body slide in against her back.

The words _I love you_ are whispered against her shoulder.

***

The roof is next, and Ellie spends more time than she cares to on top of a rickety old building while Joel hands her replacement shingles, nails, and pieces of wood. With the sun high above Jackson and her cowboy hat the only thing keeping her even vaguely sane, she can feel the sweat gliding down her neck, her back, and dripping off her nose.

The white tank-top she’s in feels like a second set of skin, only more gross, and she’s afraid she’s more freckle than human at this point.

They only stop working when they hear a whistle from below them, checking to see Dina standing there with a tray in both hands and a grin on her face.

“Anybody call for some iced tea?” she says, lifting up the tray a little, and Ellie swears she can hear the rattle of ice cubes all the way up to the roof of the farmhouse. Although that may just be a sunstroke-imbued hallucination, now that she thinks about it.

Joel descends first, brushing the back of his arm against his forehead to wipe away some of the sweat that has gathered there.

Ellie follows, feeling unsteady on her feet now that there is solid ground beneath her again.

“Why thank you, Miss Dina,” Joel drawls, picking up a glass and taking a hearty gulp.

“You’re welcome, sir,” Dina replies sweetly, if sarcastically. Her eyes roam shamelessly across Ellie’s body as she approaches, and Ellie wishes she wouldn’t be so blatant in front of Joel sometimes. It’s embarrassing, even if he’s never commented about their behavior to either of them. “How about you, stretch? Ready to cool down a little?”

Taking the glass in her hand, Ellie feels half-inclined to pour the sweet beverage on her head instead of into her mouth. It’d be gross and attract insects, but the moment the cool liquid hit her body would be a second of heaven in a sea of hellish weather.

Still, she takes a sip instead, and revels in the rush of cold sliding down her throat and into her stomach.

“Thanks,” she says, taking off her hat and using it to fan air into her face. Her hair must look terrible and gross, but neither Dina nor Joel comment on it, and Ellie is past the capacity to care about what she looks like.

Joel finishes his glass first.

Once it’s back on the tray, he places his hands at his waist and looks up at the roof, where they haven’t even gone over twenty percent of what needs to be done. He shakes his head and eyes the ladder.

“Looks like we took on a little more than we can chew by ourselves,” he says, looking back towards Ellie and raising an eyebrow. “I’ll go into town to see if anyone’d be willin’ to help us out. You okay with that?”

“More than,” Ellie says quickly. They’ve severely underestimated the roofing job, and they’ve already been at it for close to four hours. Ellie feels ready to drop as it is. And then there’s the goddamn _sun._

“Alright. Don’t go back up there by yourself while I’m gone, you hear?” He fixes her with a pointed stare, and she shrugs in acquiescence. If she’s perfectly honest, she’d rather not go back up there again at all, but since that’s not an option, she’ll take any excuse to back out of it that she can.

Nodding to himself, Joel pats Dina’s shoulder for a second before walking off towards the direction of the front gate. The back of his flannel is soaked through, and Ellie wonders how much of him going into town is an excuse for _him_ not to go back up on the roof right away, either.

Putting the glass against her temple to soak up some of the coolness, Ellie lets out a long, slow breath.

“Why couldn’t we just go live in one of the houses that are already finished?” she asks Dina without directly looking at her.

Dina’s chuckle is her only response.

“Come on, sweetie, let’s get you out of the sun for a moment,” she says instead, nudging Ellie’s arm with her elbow and beckoning her to follow. Together, they walk into the house, and Dina leaves the tray with the two empty glasses out on the porch.

“Fuck,” Ellie breathes as she’s finally in the slightly colder interior, seeking out the first shadow she can find and sitting down on the steps of the stairs that lead to the first floor. “What if I just never went outside again.”

She’s half-leaning back with her eyes closed, when she feels a body sitting itself down across her lap and two arms wrap around her neck.

“What are you doing?” Ellie asks, eyes flying open to look up at Dina as their sweaty bodies come together in mutual stickiness. “I smell like hot garbage.”

Dina laughs.

“But, baby,” she drawls, licking a quick swipe across Ellie’s temple. “You know what hot garbage does to me.”

With an annoyed grunt, Ellie places her own hands on Dina’s waist, her back digging uncomfortably into the stair behind her.

“Does it have to be right now?” she asks, as Dina strips off her own tank-top to reveal her bra-clad breasts. She’s not against the idea on principle, but it’s already so goddamn hot and stuffy today, she’s not sure how much sex will help.

“Yes,” Dina sasses back, reaching down to unbuckle Ellie’s belt and undo her button and zipper. “You have no idea how hot you are when you’re working.” Her hands still before they slide inside, her dark eyes searching Ellie’s face for reluctance. “But if you rather we didn’t, that’s okay, too.”

Ellie laughs.

“What the heck,” she says with a shrug as she pulls Dina down for a kiss. “My pants are already open.”

With a laugh of her own, Dina slips her fingers down and into Ellie’s underwear. The first touch to her clit is already enough to make Ellie’s legs shake and twitch a little, and she lets go of Dina’s waist with her right hand so she can prop herself up on the stairs instead.

“It won’t take you long to get with the program,” Dina promises, sucking at the underside of Ellie’s jaw as she continues to rub gently. Ellie wasn’t wet before, but she’s catching up quickly, especially with the way Dina is whispering to her.

Her hand curling around the stair, Ellie bares her neck, her skin heating up even more than before when she feels Dina draw her fingers down to dip into her wetness. It’s kind of gross, but kind of perfect, too. In a weird way that could only ever be _them._

“When I’m done with you, I want to ride your fingers,” Dina says almost casually, sweat dripping from her chin and onto Ellie’s collarbone. With her free hand, the one that isn’t slowly driving Ellie to insanity, she covers the drop and draws it up and along Ellie’s neck, mixing their essences. “And tonight, I want to ride your cock, if you aren’t too tired.”

Gulping in air, Ellie thuds the back of her head against the stairs and lets out a whine.

“Fuck, Dina,” she breathes, the nails of her left hand digging into her girlfriend’s waist. “If I, fuck, if I knew building a house would turn you on like this, I—” Her legs buck again when Dina rubs her a little harder and faster.

Dina smirks.

“You’re building _our_ house, baby,” she says, sliding up and down the length of Ellie’s cunt. “Of course it turns me on.”

Ellie imagines the wood under her fingers splintering from the strain she’s putting on it, but the only thing that shatters is her. Over the last four months, Dina has figured out all the ways to make Ellie come as quickly or as slowly as she wants. Now, with Joel potentially returning at any time, she doesn’t stall the way she sometimes likes to do, only teasing Ellie enough to make her feel it for the rest of the day.

When she finally comes, Ellie does so quietly, and with her bottom lip firmly grasped between her teeth. Her toes curl in her shoes and her eyes squeeze shut as the waves of pleasure crash over her, new sweat gathering on her forehead and at her neck.

She sighs and slumps back against the stairs, half-wishing they were both naked so she could feel Dina’s wet cunt on her thigh, rubbing against it, instead of their jeans coming together. But that will have to wait until tonight.

***

Before Dina rides her fingers, she convinces Ellie to shed her soaked through tank top, and she takes far too much pleasure in raking her nails along Ellie’s stomach to not be distracting.

When Ellie finally dips under the waistband of Dina’s jeans, though, she’s met with liquid heat, and all other thoughts vacate her mind, shutting off its higher brain functions. And when her fingers easily push inside, aided by Dina’s arousal, she sits up and brings their lips together in a kiss too ferocious to be appropriate for a summer afternoon.

Their bodies move together, Dina moving back and forth as best she can and Ellie tugging her closer with one hand while fucking her with the other.

“I love you,” Ellie says against the skin of Dina’s shoulder, feeling her girlfriend’s nails dig into her back. Dina’s skin is salty from sweat, and Ellie tries not to pant as she flexes and moves her forearm muscles to give Dina the best experience she can.

“I love our house,” Dina replies, her right hand sliding into Ellie’s hair and pulling there, tugging Ellie closer. “I want to ride you in every room of our house.”

At her words, Ellie bites down on her shoulder and speeds up her thrusts, her fingers rubbing and curling against the front wall of Dina’s cunt.

Lifting her head, Ellie watches Dina’s face as she rolls her hips into each thrust, her eyes closed and her mouth open to suck in as much air as possible.

Sometimes, Ellie wishes her full-time job was to make Dina come.

***

They stay wrapped around one another for a good ten minutes, Dina’s heaving chest against Ellie’s, skin stuck together.

Joel does not catch them.

It’s one of the more successful illicit hook-ups of Ellie’s life, and she can’t help but feel like she got away with something, even if she’s _technically_ a grown adult who doesn’t merit supervision. And even if she did it in _her own damn house._

Alongside Joel, there are several other people again, and soon enough they’re a group of six working away at the roof and Ellie has never been so grateful for their growing community. Together, they finish this section of the house after only a few more hours.

From the ground, Dina watches more than she works. She’s supposed to be restoring an old chest of drawers, and yet she’s nowhere near finished with it by the time everyone descends from the roof at the end of the day.

While two of their friends lug the piece of furniture back into the barn, Ellie eyes her girlfriend’s innocent expression.

“What?” Dina asks, leaning against Ellie’s shoulder and grinning up at her.

Squinting a little, Ellie decides to let it go. If anything, prodding will likely only get her into more trouble.

And she’s had plenty of that already.

***

“I’m never getting on another roof again,” Ellie gripes as they enter their apartment. With a noise of disgust, she strips off her tank top before the door is even fully closed behind them. Her bra follows next, but she doesn’t drop the clothes until she’s reached the bathroom.

Behind her, Dina whistles.

“I like where this is going,” she teases, although her fingers are gentle when they massage Ellie’s aching shoulders. She lays a kiss against Ellie’s right shoulder blade. “I can get started on dinner while you take a shower, if you like?”

Despite the heat, Ellie sinks into the embrace when Dina’s arms curl around her from behind.

“Thanks,” she says quietly, closing her eyes and soaking in the feeling of being held.

“You’re welcome.” Dina hugs her a little tighter, as though she’s trying to fuse them into a single being, and Ellie doesn’t move for several minutes. The apartment is quiet, and they can’t hear anything from their neighbors. A window is open in another room, but only faint bird song fills the space. “Thanks for working so hard to get everything ready for us.”

 _Us_ _,_ Ellie thinks. _Us._

Ellie, Dina, and the yet unnamed baby.

Her own little family.

“It’s worth it,” she says, turning her face to the side so she can kiss Dina’s temple. “If I had to, I’d get on that roof every day.”

“I know,” Dina replies, slowly unfurling her arms and letting her hands rest on Ellie’s waist instead. “It’s one of the things I love about you.” She smiles, and Ellie can feel the corner of her own mouth lift in response. “One of many.”

Cheeks red, Ellie turns to sneak a quick kiss.

“Shut up,” she says as she fully enters the bathroom and closes the door in Dina’s face. Through the door, she hears Dina’s chuckle. “Get started on dinner, please. I’m _starving_.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dina answers from the other side. “But you can’t escape my love forever.”

Ellie snorts.

“I’ll sure try!”

***

The cold water is like a balm on Ellie’s tired body and soul.

She basks in the spray, her head tilted back and her eyes closed, mouth open.

Her hands have only just lifted to her face to scrub a little, when the door to the bathroom opens and the shower curtain is pulled aside just enough for a hand to sneak through. Instead of copping a feel, it holds out an open bottle of beer.

“Thought you could use some,” Dina says, and Ellie takes the bottle without a word. Quickly, before Dina can retreat, Ellie’s hand leaves the shower, too, to clasp a handful of Dina’s sweater and pull her closer and into a wet kiss.

Dina laughs as she escapes Ellie’s watery embrace.

***

It takes another two weeks to get the farmhouse semi-ready for human occupation.

The whole endeavor also coincides with the hottest three weeks of the summer, and Ellie feels personally offended when, after they’re done, it immediately starts to rain. She could have definitely used a drop here and there prior to this.

The house is still mostly empty, but the bedroom has been furnished with a bed and the electricity and indoor plumbing work, so Ellie and Dina don’t waste much more time in starting to move their stuff. Which, of course, means that Ellie does most of the heavy lifting.

“You _do_ know I’m not an invalid, right?” Dina asks on their fifth trip to the farmhouse, while Ellie is lugging a heavy easy chair over all by herself. Ahead of them, they can see Joel with a huge mirror in his arms, and even further ahead is Jesse, carrying two suitcases full of books and flannel shirts.

“Yes, I know,” Ellie says for perhaps the hundredth time that day. “But you’re pregnant and we’re not taking any chances, remember?”

Dina pouts, and tugs at the edge of the easy chair, almost causing Ellie to trip.

“Fine,” Dina acquiesces, with her hands stuffed into her pockets. “But I’m not taking care of you when you break your back.”

Ellie rolls her eyes.

“Liar.”

In response, Dina gives her a pat on the butt.

***

The first night in the farmhouse is quiet.

There’s still almost no furniture, aside from what they’ve lugged over throughout the day, but Dina and Ellie make do with what they have.

It’s how they end up having a lazy meal on a blanket in the living room.

When they’re finished, and with the dishes stored safely in the kitchen, they lay back and stare at the ceiling of their new home. Tomorrow, they’ll bring over the rest of their stuff, and then it’ll be just them, out on the farm, tending to the crops and animals they’ll need to acquire.

Ellie, with her hands behind her head, closes her eyes and smiles.

Next to her, Dina curls into her side, one hand on her stomach.

“I can’t believe we’re really here,” she says quietly, her hand leaving her stomach so she can tug at the bottom of Ellie’s dark t-shirt. “You and me in a place like this. Who knew?” She shuffles closer, her hand sliding down and along the soft skin under Ellie’s belly button.

“Not me.” Ellie keeps her eyes closed, enjoying the soft swirl of the tips of Dina’s fingers on her skin.

“I guess I should count myself lucky,” Dina continues, pushing herself up on her elbow and leaning down to give Ellie’s cheek a kiss. “That you even caught up with the fact that I love you.” She kisses Ellie’s nose. “Considering how slow you can be sometimes.”

Opening her left eye just a smidge, Ellie glares up at her.

“Don’t push your luck,” she says, turning her face into the next kiss. “I can still take the baby in the divorce.”

With a roll of the eyes, Dina chuckles.

“Again, still not married,” she gripes.

“Eh.” Ellie shrugs. “Might as well be.”

Shaking her head, Dina lays down on Ellie’s chest and closes her eyes, too.

“I’m glad our baby will grow up in a house like this, instead of in a bunker or a scary safe zone,” she reveals, and the words are not lost on Ellie. She knows Dina is serious when she says _our baby_. “With people who love them.”

Feeling suddenly choked up, Ellie lowers her arms so she can wrap them around her girlfriend.

“Oof,” Dina complains at the tight grip, though she makes no effort to get away.

“M’sorry,” Ellie mumbles into Dina’s dark hair.

Neither one of them moves.

***

There’s a heavy thunk that reverberates through the farmhouse.

“Careful!” She hears Joel shout, as well as Jesse’s answering grumbled response.

In the kitchen, where Ellie is sorting through a box of stuff that Tommy had given her as a housewarming gift, Dina chuckles as she puts the kettle on.

“Maybe you should have been the one to help Joel with the couch,” she says, one hand resting on her stomach and the other reaching up to the cupboard above the stove to pick out four mismatching mugs.

Ellie grunts noncommittally, turning an old camera back and forth in her hands.

“They’re fine,” she finally says when Dina keeps looking at her, and Dina gives a good-natured eyeroll at Ellie’s unconcernedness.

“Good on you, stretch,” she says, bending down to kiss Ellie’s cheek.

Sticking out her tongue at Dina, Ellie puts down the camera for later inspection and picks up a book instead. It’s well-worn, and Ellie squints down at the title with some confusion: _What to Expect When You’re Expecting_.

There’s a note stuck to the inside of the cover.

“Fucking Tommy,” she grumbles, handing the book off to Dina so she can have a laugh.

 _Time to be a good dad now, Ellie_ _,_ it says.

When Dina indeed does start to laugh, Ellie isn’t even mad. Instead, she just puts her chin in her hand and watches the lines around Dina’s face move with her mirth.

It’s a good day.

***

As Dina’s stomach grows, so does Ellie’s anxiety, but also her resolution to be a good parent.

Life on the farm is nice. Quiet. Now that they’re tending to crops and to two cows that have been donated to them by their friend Maggie, who lives a little ways outside Jackson, Ellie has less and less time for patrolling. And she finds, to her utter surprise, that she doesn’t miss it one bit.

She still goes, when Tommy asks her to, or if someone doesn’t feel comfortable about exploring a new route, because Ellie is, if nothing else, a skilled hunter unlike many others. But she doesn’t seek it out anymore.

Neither does Dina.

While Ellie tills the land, Dina brushes down the cows and milks them every morning, although her belly is starting to get in her way sometimes these days.

It’s a sight Ellie doesn’t think she’ll soon forget.

Dina, hair disheveled, in one of Ellie’s jackets, squatting behind a cow and talking to it as she squeezes the udder. Her round belly peeking out from behind the jacket, full of promises and new beginnings.

Sometimes, Ellie wonders if this is what freedom feels like. If this is what it was like before.

Or maybe it’s even better. Because this is Dina, and Ellie is Ellie.

And they fit.

**Author's Note:**

> and they lived happily ever after and nothing bad happened ever again the end
> 
> if you want to support me, find me on tumblr @goshdarnitjay. also if you have prompts!
> 
> beta-read by the lovely coara ♥


End file.
